Essential Nutrition Actions.

Introduction:
The Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA) are the action oriented proven approaches used to improve the nutrition of women and children. They increases the coverage of nutrition services beyond the growth monitoring and promotion and each component is based on proven impact.

 

• Community based Nutrition Rehabilitation.
• Maternal Nutrition.
• Low Birth Weight
• Essential Nutrition Actions.

Why ENA
ENA approach pulls together existing vertical programs in a sensible action oriented way. With ENA approach there is nothing new except the packaging and way promotion of nutrition is operationalized.

Seven Proven Essential Nutrition Action
The seven proven ENA include:-
1) Optimal breastfeeding
2) Complementary feeding with continuing breastfeeding
3) Feeding of the sick child
4) Women’s Nutrition
5) Control of Vitamin A deficiency
6) Control of iodine deficiency disorders

Five contact points
The five contact points for provision of ENA include:-
- Pregnancy;
- Delivery;
- Postnatal and family planning;
- Immunization, Growth Monitoring and Promotion and well child; and
- Sick child

Also, ENA can expand the nutrition coverage within the health sectors such as child survival programs, control of malaria, tuberculosis services, village health days etc.


ENA can also expand the nutrition coverage outside the health sector such as schools, agriculture, etc.

When to integrate ENA
Majority of growth faltering occur during the first year of life and therefore ENA should be integrated to focus on: (1) Infant and young child feeding especially 0 – 24 months (2) and nutrition of girls and women.

What to integrate
The seven proven actions to prevent malnutrition if well integrated are expected to decrease the under-five mortality by 25%.

Where to integrate
The seven proven actions can be integrated in the five critical contact points for infant feeding and women nutrition life cycle. ENA need to be harmonized at all level .

How to integrate
Key steps include harmonization at all level (national, Regional, District, Health facility, community), creation of partnership and coordination.